


Catching Up

by Duck_Life



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Fireside Chats, Friendship, Gen, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:48:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29934333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: After reuniting with Georgie and Melanie in London, Georgie and Jon get a chance to talk.
Relationships: Georgie Barker & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 1
Kudos: 33





	Catching Up

She’s thought about this moment a lot, this reunion. On her worst days, Georgie can see herself unthinkingly swinging a cricket bat at him, not recognizing the man and seeing only another threat. On better days, quiet days, she imagines she’d pull him close and press her face against his pockmarked neck, hold him tight like them being together might change anything. 

Reality, as usual, is nothing like her imaginings.

Jon is dazed, unsure of himself and his surroundings. Martin explains his behavior as a side effect of being cut off from the Eye, and Georgie is stoutly refusing to think about the implications of that. Whatever’s going on with Jon, it’s temporary. It just is. She’s decided. 

They travel through the tunnels that snake beneath the city, accompanied by the tapping of Melanie’s cane and Martin’s nervous chatter. At some point, Georgie reaches out and squeezes Jon’s hand. He squeezes back. 

They don’t go back to the encampment, not at first. Georgie and Melanie decide they need time— whatever that means, here— before they’re ready to introduce the Beholding’s “special little boy” to their people. So they settle down in an alcove of the tunnels, stepping aside from the unending journey to decompress and unwind. 

Jon starts trying to explain the Watcher’s Crown, and the statement, and Georgie gets upset and walks away from the fire. 

“You were right,” Jon says, standing beside her without looking at her. “You were right about everything.” 

“No, I wasn’t,” she says, voice hoarse from trying not to cry. “Maybe  _ some _ things. But the… I thought you could just walk away. I wanted so much for you to just walk away.” 

“I could have,” Jon says flatly. “Melanie—”

Georgie laughs humorlessly. “I love her, Jon,” she says. “I don’t know how she… I don’t think I could have, y’know? Done what she did. I’m not about to blame you for wanting to… and besides, you wouldn’t just be blind, you’d… I mean you’d be. Dead. Wouldn’t you?” 

“And the world would still be intact.” 

“Don’t talk like that.”

“You were thinking it.” 

She whirls on him. “You didn’t—”

“No, I, no, sorry, of course not,” he stammers. “Poor choice of words, I, um. I don’t do that. I don’t look.” 

“Good.” She sighs. “I don’t wish you were dead, Jon.”

“You always were sentimental.”

“Shut up.” She bumps her shoulder against his. “Honestly, I’m not sure you dying would have even changed much. Maybe the  _ when _ , but… Elias…  _ Jonah _ … has been planning for, what, 200 years? He would’ve found someone else if you died. Maybe even Martin.” 

“I’ve… considered that,” he admits.

“Melanie’s ready to kill him. Elias, not Martin,” Georgie clarifies quickly. “She wants to march up to that tower and shoot his eyes right out of his fat fucking head.” 

“And you?”

“I’ll have to go with her to help her aim.” Jon laughs, not much more than a forceful exhale from his nose. Her eyes sweep over him, the way he seems to radiate energy. The way he seems to wilt. “How long can you last down here, anyway?”

Jon shrugs. “Like most things, when I’m… here… I don’t  _ know _ . Longer, I think, than when I was with Salesa. This is… different. It almost feels more natural? If that makes sense?”

“Mm.” She tilts her head against his shoulder. “My parents,” Georgie says quietly. “I haven’t… I mean, I haven’t really been able to talk to anyone. But I don’t know…” She looks at him. “They aren’t like me and Melanie. They could…  _ you _ could know. What’s happened to them. Next time we’re topside, you could look and know.” 

“I… could,” he says. “Do you want me to?” 

“I don’t know,” she says. “Why don’t… why don’t you just  _ look _ , and then you can decide whether or not to tell me?”

“No,” he says. “I can’t make that decision for you.” 

“I’ve been trying to guess,” she admits. “Just based on… I mean, you know. Mum always hated seeing mold in the kitchen, but… I mean, no more than anyone else, I suppose? Dad doesn’t like heights.” 

“Georgie, I’m so sorry.” 

“Hey.” She steps away from him only so she can make eye contact, so she can face him fully and make sure he’s listening. Make sure he’s hearing her. “Jon. This wasn’t your fault. You know that, right?”

He smiles weakly, a dull glint in the dim light. “I don’t know anything, not down here.” 

“Well, know it because I’m saying it,” Georgie says. “And I’m telling the truth— none of this bullshit was your fault. Alright?”

Jon ducks his head. “Georgie—”

“No, hang on,” she says, growing heated. “Because I  _ know _ that Elias is up in his ivory castle not giving a shit about anything. So don’t  _ you _ go feeling his guilt  _ for _ him. That’s not your job, Jon.”

“No,” he sighs. “No, my job is cataloguing, archiving and inflicting terror.” 

“I mean.” Georgie tugs him closer, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Sounds like the benefits are good, at least.” 

Jon laughs and then grows quiet, sharing the warmth and the space and the silence with her. It’s been so long since they’ve seen each other, and even longer since they’ve seen each other on friendly terms. (If the apocalypse was good for anything, it’s cutting through old arguments and bruised feelings. They see each other with the baggage scraped away, just two souls adrift in a world gone wrong.)

“So,” Jon says. “Melanie.” 

“So,” she counters, “Martin.” 

“He’s amazing,” Jon says, a dreamy expression crossing his face. “He makes me better. He makes me… good.” 

“You’ve always been good, Jon.” 

“He makes me believe it, then.” 

Georgie smiles, thinking about Melanie’s acerbic wit and cold hands and fierce loyalty. Thinking about cold nights curled up with the Admiral between them while they try not to hear the screams outside. Thinking about so many people looking up to them with admiration, with dependency. Thinking about the stupid, boring life they deserved of coffee shop dates and falling asleep on the couch with Netflix on in the background. 

“Melanie and I lean on each other,” she says. “I don’t know what I would have done without her. You know,” she goes on, “you don’t realize how much fear influences your sense of logic. Until you have to go without it. If it weren’t for Melanie acting as my sense of fear, I’d probably be dead now. Or worse.”

“Worse, for sure,” Jon says. Then he winces and adds, “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Georgie says. “It’s a nightmare out there. I should’ve expected that we can’t even die anymore.” 

“We’ll figure it out,” Jon says, knowing he can’t truly promise her anything. But he thinks Georgie knows that. She always was good at understanding him. 


End file.
